Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on April 9 held a meeting with leaders of various religious organisations in Guwahati and stressed on the need to maintain strict lockdown norms by people of all sections cutting across language, culture and religion to succeed in the fight against Novel Coronavirus outbreak.
During the interaction, Sonowal said that since COVID-19 is caused by a new virus and medical scientists and researchers worldover were yet to find a cure or a vaccine, the best way to contain the virus now was to stay indoors to break the chain of spread.
“Coronavirus does not differentiate between religion, community, caste, creed or skin colour and therefore, people, irrespective of their religious affiliations, should stay united and steadfast in their resolve to overcome this challenge posed by the global pandemic,” he said. The chief minister also reiterated that maintaining social distancing, avoidance of any kind of social gatherings and regular washing of hands were the keys to defeat COVID-19.
Referring to the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonowal highlighted the importance of the measure to stop the spread and contain the outbreak of COVID-19. He appealed the religious leaders to urge their followers to remain indoors considering the immensely contagious nature of the virus.
“The situation warranted that all religious activities were performed within the house without venturing out and religious leaders must take on the responsibility to educate the people about the importance of abstaining from any kind of religious or social gathering during these times of crisis,” he said.
Sonowal also urged them to ensure that no inciting or provocative religious statements were made to disturb the social harmony of the state and called them to generate awareness among their followers about the coronavirus protocols.
